So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.—Genesis 41:41, NIV
Pharaoh ordered Potiphar and his servants to prepare and count the Egyptian harvest and its output. They wanted numbers, numbers, and even more numbers: up to a fifth of the harvest was to be collected each year. Pharaoh knew he had to act fast and gather a bit more because he knew the whole world would look to Egypt to buy their share of their provisions! Nubia, Babylon, and even India waited upon Pharaoh's decree, because things would soon take a turn for the worse in their own countries.
Joseph walked through a long and expansive hall where windows designed with the shapes of the sun gave a beautiful light that showered over Joseph's headdress, fashioned with Italic jewels and vibrant colors imported from the faraway seas. He asked for a mirror and they gave him one. He asked for water and they poured it from the cleanest lake in the province. "Is this what people mean when they want to live like a king?", he asked himself.
Then the doors were opened, and the people of Egypt wanted to celebrate their new Vizier. There he was, crowned like one, the people rejoicing over this glorious victory.
And then the famine came...